Tool for adjusting orthodontia appliances



June 30, 1953' w. H. GRINNELL 2,

TOOL FOR ADJUSTING ORTHODONTIA APPLIANCES Filed April 26, 1950 INVENTOR: w nus H..GRINNELL.,

Patented June 30, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOOL FOR ADJUSTING ORTHODONTIA APPLIANCES 1 Claim.

This invention relates to an instrument for use in manipulating and adjusting dental orthodontia appliances of the arch bow type. An appliance of this type usually comprises an arch bow formed of spring wire curved longitudinally to conform approximately to the outside of the normal dental arch against which it is fitted, the ends of the arch bow being anchored to suitable rear teeth such as molars, and the intermediate portion of the bow being connected to the tooth or teeth to be adjusted or regulated. The connection between the arch bow and each tooth that is to be treated is usually made by a metal band which rigidly encircles the tooth, suitable means being provided upon the outer side of the band to secure the arch bow thereto so that said arch bow is positively held against lateral movement in any direction but is free to be ad justed longitudinally relatively to said band and tooth so that said arch bow can readily and quickly be adjusted longitudinally without otherwise disturbing the connection of the arch bow with the band of the tooth being treated.

The wire or wires of the arch bow are necessarily made from quite fine small gauge spring wire and heretofore it has been difficult to handle and adjust the bow while the latter was within the mouth of the patient.

It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an instrument by means of which the arch bow may conveniently be handled and adjusted manually while within the mouth of the patient.

An orthodontia appliance of the type referred to above is shown and described in U. S. patent to Johnson, No. 1,952,320, dated March 27, 1934, and the present invention also has for its object to provide an instrument especially designed for use in manipulating and adjusting the parts of an orthodontia appliance of the type shown and described in that patent.

To these ends I have provided a simple and inexpensive instrument of the class described which, in the preferred embodiment thereof, may be constructed and employed as hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is an enlarged top plan view of an instrument constructed in accordance with this invention, for use in manipulating and adjusting orthodontia appliances.

Figure 2 is a side view of the instrument shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 shows the instrument of Figs. 1 and 2 in position upon the thumb of. a hand 01 the user.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the parts of a tooth band completely assembled upon a tooth and fastened to the archbow of the orthodontia appliance shown in Fig. 5.

Figure 5 is a plan View of an orthodontia appliance showing the same mounted upon a model of a dental arch.

In the accompanying drawings the reference character A designates anarch bow which may be of any suitable construction and consist of one or more metal spring wires i provided with terminal tubes 2 secured to their ends for attachment to anchortubes t mounted upon anchor bands A fixed rigidly to anchor teeth such as molars 5.

The intermediate portions of the arch bow A are connected to the teeth 6 to be regulated or treated by tooth bands 1 of usual construction with the outer side of each of which is integrated as usual a transversely disposed exteriorly dovetailed channel-shaped socket element 3 adapted to receive Within it the proximate portion of the arch bow as shown in Fig. 4.

The divergent oppositely disposed side flanges of channel element 8 are adapted to interlock with a channel-shaped closure element i i made with oppositely disposed convergent flanges which are adapted to be slid endwise and telescopically on to the side flanges of element 8 to interlock the two elements after the two-strand arch bow I has been manipulated to dispose the same within the channel-shaped element 8. Each strand of the arch bow usually measures in the neighborhood of ten one-thousandths of an inch in diameter, and channel element 8 about oneeighth of an inch in length by three thirty-seconds of an inch in width. The closure element I! is of the same length as that of the socket element 8 but slightly wider in order to slidably telescope the same. Thus parts of the appliance are so small that it is not possible, as a practical matter, to adjust and manipulate them by direct application of the fingers and for this reason I have provided an improved instrument in order to facilitate these operations.

The embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is made of stainless steel Wire although any other suitable material may be employed so long as the device is characterized by including a digitiform thimble-like body portion to fit upon the free end of the thumb or finger, said body portion being provided at its outer forward end with a longitudinally disposed outstanding stem extension for engagement with the parts of the orthodontia appliance that are to be adjusted by it.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings B indicates the digitiform thimble-like body portion and C the longitudinally disposed outstanding stem extension.

When made from stainless steel wire as shown in the drawings the device is produced from a single piece of appropriate length the greater portion of which is bowed upon itself and has its free end soldered, welded, or otherwise integrated perpendicularly with the opposite end portion of the wire which constitutes the extension C of the finished device, the loop thus formed in the wire being then bent to convert. it into the body portion B.

The finished body portion comprises, two spaced-apart transverse loops l0 and II to embrace and underlie the thumb or'finger as shown in Fig. 3, and also two side loops l2 and I3. to. engage and overlie the opposite side portions and top of the thumb or finger, said side loops being of sufllcient lateral resiliency to. grip the thumb or finger and thereby hold the device in position while in use.

The free end of the extension C. is flattened as at M and said flattened. portion has its extremity formed with a rectangular notch 15 to be utilized in handling the wires I of the arch bow A and for other purposes. The width and sides of this notch may measure 0.25 of an inch which has been found appropriate iornmost if not all uses thereof.

When the thimble B is mounted upon the thumb as shown in Fig. 3, all of the other fingers of the hand are free to be used for different purposes without necessitating the removal of the thimble from the thumb.

What I claim is:

An instrument for use in adjusting an orthodontia appliance consisting of a length of metal wire whose major portion is bent retrorsely upon itself with its end united to said wire-intermediate the ends thereof and with said major portion formed into a thimble-like body structure comprising two longitudinally spaced-apart transverse loops to embrace and underlie the finger of the user, and also comprising two 0ppositely disposed side loops to engage and overlie. opposite side portions of the finger, the free end of the Wire being extended longitudinally beyond said body structure to provide a stem for engagement with the orthodontia appliance.

WILLIS H. GRINNELL.

References Gited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS.

Number Name Date 421,665 Buckman Feb. 18, 1890 497,568 Dudley et al. May 16, 1893 749,881 Roach Jan. 19, 1904 1,299,102 Angle Apr. 1, 1919 1,506,928 Hansen et al. Sept. 2, 1924 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 190,482 Switzerland Sept. 16, 1937 

